I am Emperor Shizu of Song

Chapter 14: The Imperial Family Must Be So Cautious
Although Zhao Zi claimed to be a time traveler, he had inherited the memories of his original body. Therefore, the feeling of homesickness still rose uncontrollably in his heart.

The Zhao family of Xiuzhou settled near Nanhu Lake. After turning from the Grand Canal into Nanhu Lake, the east bank boasts a vast expanse of paddy fields, mulberry trees, and bamboo groves, dotted with dozens of courtyards each with two or three entrances. This is Zhaojiazhuang.

One hundred feet to the west of Zhuangzi, there is a small island in the middle of the lake. It was built by Qian Yuanluo, the sixth son of Qian Liu, King of Wuyue, during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period when he was controlling the water in Nanhu Lake and piled up the silt obtained by dredging.

There is a building on the island, also built by Qian Yuanlang, named Yanyu Tower.

According to later novelists, a hundred years later, a Taoist priest named Qiu Chuji and the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan would have a fight on this building.

And if we go by official history, in another eight hundred years, there will be a boat waiting for guests at the foot of this Misty Rain Tower, carrying a group of great men to discuss earth-shaking undertakings on this lake.

Zhao Zicheng is well-versed in history, and he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed when he saw so many relics worth paying homage right at his doorstep.

Others pay tribute to the past, but he only looks forward to the future, to things that have not yet happened.

The Murong family's servants quickly rowed the boat to shore. Deng Yue personally helped Zhao Zicheng unload the luggage and gifts. He glanced at the farm and asked curiously, "Are most of the people living in this farm from your clan? There must be about a hundred households, right?"

Zhao Zicheng casually explained, "The family is so prosperous, and they have multiplied so much in just two generations. After the family property was divided, the side branches were naturally poor."

His great-grandfather Zhao Congyu had six sons, three of whom were legitimate sons. His grandfather Zhao Shijiang was the third and youngest legitimate son.

Zhao Shijiang had six legitimate sons. His father, Zhao Linghua, was the youngest. He was born in the early years of Xining and his grandfather died shortly after he was born.

His grandfather's eldest and second brothers were both nobles and still lived in their northern hometown. His grandfather and his three half-brothers were not nobles and drifted to Xiuzhou, where they settled and branched out.

Who could blame the ancient royal family for having so many children? In just two generations, the population expanded more than twenty times, and the family property naturally became rapidly diluted.

Most of the people in the village were from the same clan, so Zhao Zicheng was recognized as soon as he got ashore.

This time when he returned home, he was rich and prosperous. He chose the best clothes and even wore several pieces of ancient jade.

Several young men of his age came over to pay their respects, calling him "Uncle." A few younger ones shouted back, "Sixth Uncle's little uncle is back! Sixth Uncle's little uncle is back!"

Zhao Zicheng is the youngest son in every generation of his family, so his generation is naturally high.

For example, his father, Zhao Linghua, was only in his forties, but he was already the oldest in the village. The current patriarch was Zhao Zicheng's eldest cousin, who was already in his fifties and had to call someone a dozen years younger "Sixth Uncle."

When faced with greetings from the younger generation, Zhao Zicheng, who had just returned from a long journey, certainly couldn't be stingy, otherwise he would be criticized. Whenever someone showed him respect, he would signal Deng Yue to give him a tip.

The servants of the Murong family held strings of copper coins and some small silver ingots and stuffed them into the pockets of everyone they met. Soon a large crowd gathered at the gate of the manor.

Distant relatives were all talking about it:

"I heard that my sixth uncle's youngest uncle has really made a fortune this time! He studied at the Imperial College in Tokyo for two and a half years and passed the examinations with flying colors. He'll probably be able to become an official soon. Finally, someone in our village has achieved his academic success on his own, without relying on his ancestors' influence."

"But you haven't become an official yet, have you? It's so hard to wait for a job these days. Many people have to wait a year or two after passing the exam before getting a real job."

"What's so strange about this? Even if you haven't become an official yet, as long as you do well in the exam, there will be dignitaries who are looking to make friends with you in advance. When the imperial examination was popular, which wealthy man in Tokyo didn't want to marry someone from the list? Maybe my uncle will be favored by a wealthy family."

There were also a few well-informed relatives who knew what had happened in neighboring Suzhou in recent days, but they kept silent about it. They just came over to pay their respects, ask for rewards, and then left quietly.

Zhao Zicheng's return soon alarmed everyone in the village.

When he reached the door of his own house, his mother, Mrs. Hu, was already eagerly clinging to the door, repeatedly peeking in to check. Only when she saw her son appear did she open the door completely and rush out.

Mrs. Hu was a middle-aged woman in her thirties, with rough hands and feet. Her family was poor, barely comfortable enough to feed her family. Consequently, Mrs. Hu's clothing looked rather shabby; all the family money went into food and her son's education.

After all, Zhao Zicheng inherited the memories of his physical body, and it was really not easy for his physical parents to support his studies, so Zhao Zicheng did not hesitate and stepped forward to pay his respects.

"Mom, I've made great progress. I'm going to Bianjing again next month, maybe I can join the team to fill a vacancy. I brought some things with me this time, so you and Dad can live a good life."

Zhao Zicheng said this, waving his hand behind him. Deng Yue then called a few of the Murong family servants and carried a few boxes in. Mrs. Hu looked at this scene, feeling a sense of uncertainty in her heart, but she did not lose her composure.

As the daughter-in-law of a royal family, Hu had seen some of the world. Although she had never met her parents-in-law, she had heard that their family had been quite wealthy when they were still alive. So she simply thanked them lightly, had the things moved in first, and would later ask about other matters.

While things were being moved, the neighboring nieces-in-law came over to watch the fun and said some compliments to Mrs. Hu. Mrs. Hu looked very happy and felt more and more relieved.

But suddenly, a loud shout came from inside the Zhao family's gate, and then an old man in his forties rushed out with a thick wooden door bolt and smashed it on the ground in front of Zhao Zicheng.

"You rebellious son! How dare you come back!"

Zhao Zicheng was startled and subconsciously leaped back, so the stick naturally couldn't hit him. In fact, it wouldn't have hit him even if he hadn't dodged.

But his evasion still amazed the relatives watching nearby: "Huh? Isn't little uncle always focused on studying? When did he become so agile?"

He has been practicing martial arts for seven or eight days, and his teacher is a rare master in the world with a high level of knowledge in martial arts. Zhao Zicheng now has some basic moves and body movements, but he lacks practical experience and is prone to misjudgment.

He calmed down and realized that the person who pulled the door bolt was his father Zhao Linghua, and he couldn't help feeling puzzled.

The other relatives who were watching hurried over to try to stop Zhao Linghua, saying, "Sixth Uncle, what do you mean by that? It's rare for someone like you to be so self-respecting in the village." Zhao Linghua, however, kept a straight face and said, "Don't let him fool you! He should have been back seven or eight days ago, but he's been hanging around in Suzhou for so long. I heard he's working for Zhu Zhen, and that's how he got these petty gains."

After saying this, Zhao Linghua pushed everyone aside and turned to Zhao Zicheng, lecturing him, "What did I always teach you? We are members of the royal family. Don't get close to the emperor's favorites! Even if there's something to gain, don't go! If your eldest brother hadn't brought back a letter from Suzhou, I would have been almost kept in the dark by you!"

Zhao Zicheng did not have any biological brothers. The "big brother" his father referred to was obviously his eldest cousin from the eldest house who was the clan leader.

Suzhou and Xiuzhou are less than a hundred miles apart, and five or six days is enough for well-informed people to find out some clues.

After hearing this, Zhao Zicheng came to his senses a little and realized that his father needed to put on an act for the relatives to shut everyone up and avoid being accused of something.

If he had known it was just an act, Zhao Zicheng would not have hidden it. It didn't hurt anyway.

He immediately made his defense in public: "Father, please allow me to speak! I also know that the Yingfeng Bureau is plundering the people's wealth. How could I be in cahoots with them? I was simply implicated in a case, and to prove my innocence, I happened to catch some corrupt officials in the Yingfeng Bureau who were stealing from the government.

As for this money, it was not a reward from the government, but a voluntary gift from a prominent Suzhou family that had received a favor from me.

Of course, Zhao Ling didn't believe what he said immediately, and he still dragged the door bolt angrily.

Fortunately, Deng Yue, who was beside Zhao Zicheng, was quite experienced and saw the clues. He immediately gave Zhao Ling a way out: "Don't be angry, old man. I am the head of Yanziwu Town, west of Gusu City.

This Mr. Zhao did a favor to my master's family and saved us from the confiscation of our property by the Yingfeng Bureau. That's why my young master offered him a thank you gift. Unexpectedly, this has brought suspicion upon Mr. Zhao, and that's our fault."

Deng Yue had a loud voice, and with his fat body and luxurious clothes, he looked like a local tycoon. When people saw that what he said was convincing, they believed most of it.

Zhao Ling had to further confirm, "He really didn't collude with the Yingfeng Bureau? His eldest brother's family manager came back from Suzhou doing business and said he helped the Yingfeng Bureau frame Liangshan!"

Deng Yue: "Absolutely not! This must be a rumor. Young Master Zhao was simply arguing for his point. He even used his wits to outmaneuver a corrupt official from the Yingfeng Bureau. That official has been beaten to death, and the people of Gusu are applauding!"

Zhao Ling rolled his eyes and confirmed that his relatives had heard everything he said. Then he took the opportunity to back off, threw away the door bolt, turned around and went back to the house without saying a word.

The other relatives originally wanted to ask for more wedding money and some good luck, but when they saw that Zhao Zicheng's father and son were quarreling so much that they had to use sticks, they all dispersed.

After returning to the house and closing the door, Zhao Linghua put on a relatively kind expression and looked at his son with an apologetic look:

"No matter how poor we are, we are still a royal family. We must be careful when making friends with the emperor's close ministers. If outsiders gossip about us, it will eventually become a hidden danger."

Zhao Zicheng bowed and said, "It's okay, son."

Zhao Linghua nodded, but was too embarrassed to give in. He groaned a few times before muttering softly, "Did it hurt just now?"

Zhao Zi said: "It doesn't hurt, I didn't get hit at all."

Mrs. Hu also complained, "You only know how to make rules! Your son did so well in the Imperial College exams, other families would love him so much, but you are so particular!"

Zhao Ling lowered his voice, but his tone remained stern: "What do women know? Royal family members must be careful! This commotion I made today at least shut up others."

Zhao Zicheng felt a little emotional when listening to his parents quarreling.

The reason why my parents are so cautious is that, after all, their family is not strong enough in Xiuzhou.

Although my family is a royal family, my cousins ​​and brothers are also royal families. My family line has always had youngest sons, so it is easy for them to be suppressed by the eldest son.

My eldest cousin's family is the richest and most powerful family in Zhaojiazhuang. They inherited the business left by my grandfather, so they often send people to Suzhou to do business and are more informed.

This time, he had just caused a small stir in Suzhou, and his eldest cousin came back to spread news that was unfavorable to Zhao Zicheng.

If there is a chance later, I should give him a warning. Or I could find a way to give my father Zhao Ling a slight raise in his official status, so that he can have a greater say in his hometown of Xiuzhou and ignore the suppression of the eldest son's family.

Moreover, if nothing unexpected happens, the Fang La Rebellion will break out next year. Before that, Zhao Zi said that it would definitely not be enough to just establish a team and power in Suzhou.

A great chaos is coming, and only by expanding our business can we have three burrows and be able to take care of others.

"This time when I go to Bianjing, it seems I have to find a way to make some extra moves and get some benefits. If it were an ordinary family, when the son becomes an official, they would not give the father a promotion as well. That doesn't make sense. But our family is a royal family after all, and they will naturally be granted official positions through patronage, so the situation is different.

As long as I succeed, and I can create some excuses, there's still hope. And if I succeed once, these uncles and brothers will follow my lead and help me more."

Zhao Zicheng had already started thinking about how to subdue other neighboring branches after going to Bian Jing and integrate the clan power in Xiuzhou for his own use.

-

PS: The protagonist is a historical figure after all, and his life trajectory was like this before he traveled through time, so I have to follow inertia and insert a chapter to write about his return home to visit his relatives. At this time in history, he had already returned home to visit his relatives after taking the exam.

In addition, it is also necessary to explain the background of the protagonist and lay the groundwork for things that were not explained before. Fortunately, it is still a public chapter and free, so it should not be too watery.

I will be on my way to Bian Jing tomorrow to do some business. There will be scenes of traveling around the martial arts world and attending court later on. Please be patient, everyone. Thank you.

(End of this chapter)